What better fitness test than a point-to-point twenty-odd miler as a return to racing after a couple of months lay-off? The first running of the Marsden to Edale Trigger just happened to fit in quite nicely so I thought I would have a crack at this variation on the classic Tanky's Trog route. Taking in the Peak District's Black Hill, Bleaklow and Kinder I thought that I would be guaranteed some nice soft and forgiving underfoot conditions which wouldn't trouble my injury too much. As it turned out the ground was frozen solid and it couldn't have been much harsher on the feet. Fortunately I was comfortable in my X-Talon 190s and my niggles behaved themselves quite nicely.
The first few kms on big trails out of Marsden were swift and I was hanging on to Jon Morgan who set a fast early pace. Onto the flags over Black Hill and I took the lead, hopping gingerly between the sheets of black ice. I was behind again down into Crowden, but took the lead for good on the way up Bleaklow, which was a desolate winter wonderland of hoar frost. After that it was just a case of pushing on and trying not to overcook it on the way over Snake summit and up to Kinder plateau.
Dropping down into Edale I looked over my shoulder a few times but couldn't spot anyone behind me. This was a good feeling after a couple of months off racing and a good few weeks off running. I really enjoyed this route, which had a bit of everything, and the race was extremely well-organised with plenty of marshalling from members of Woodhead Mountain Rescue. I can thoroughly recommend it for a good day out next January.
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Finger on the Trigger...
Monday, 9 January 2012
1st in the Open 5 - Quantocks
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| Winning the Open 5 in the Quantocks: A smile of relief running into the finish before the 5hour time limit! |
I sat still for the two days before the O5 and that seems to have done the trick!
As we arrived in Crowcombe we passed the transition area and got a preview of the ride to the start....It was 190m of climb in less than a mile! Any illusions of a nice flat Southern area out the window :-).
I decided to bike first as that seemed to work best last year, however I had a plan to reduce my shocking transition/ run plan time. I marked the control points on the map on BOTH sides before heading off. My route choice was a bit rusty to start with and I could potentially have got another 15 pointer if I'd thought it through a bit more, but I got round with the major high pointers and few bonus controls. The riding was tough, with a good layer of mud covering my bike and me nicely! I particularly enjoyed the excitingly steep descents I found! I couldn't have riden for any longer though, after an hour I had got really hungry and had a couple of moments where I really thought I was about to bonk! I ate as much as I normally eat in an entire O5 in just the bike stage! Thankfully, with a bit of pushing of the bike/leaning on the bike for support on the ridiculously gentle last bit of climb, I got back to transition and my food stash.
Having marked the run side of the map I was much more economical with my transition, changing shoes and eating whilst planning. This saved me around 8 minutes I think (I have been truely shocking at this in the past).
I wasn't sure what my legs would do at this point, however they got into the swing of the run no problem and I cruised round the first 4 controls. Then I chose a maveric route choice which involved a big off road climb across brackeny fell side followed by a descent and a climb again. I could have done this in one climb....but this way was shorter :-P.
Now all was left was a small descent, gentle climb and the finish! Then I glanced at my watch.....I had 40minutes.....which was more than enough time to get my remaining 2 controls. And you never want more than enough time right?
Before I knew it my legs were taking me down the hill to the right, away from my safe last controls, towards another 10 pointer. I got there with 35minutes to go. Just in time for my legs to truely give up. I shuffled through the fields towards the penultimate control and a lot of pain and 15minutes later I arrived. 20minutes to go, and my legs were refusing to move. Thankfully the hill to the last control was not half as bad as I thought and I managed a run until legs stop, walk 10 steps, run again regime, bringing me into the finish in 4hrs58, Phew!
I'd been doing some mental maths on the way round and thought I'd got an alright score, however 480 points is more than I could have hoped for at the moment! It was also enough for my first Open 5 win! Really happy with that!
I'm so glad I've retained some of the fitness I had in October whilst really struggling to train during Nov/Dec! The effort of getting out of the door when feeling terrible was clearly well worth it! I'm also glad that I seem to be fairly well recovered, apart from the cold but I can deal with that! I'm looking forward to the rest of the series now and hope that next time it might feel a bit less like I was dragging my body around the course!
Sunday, 18 December 2011
Tour De Helvellyn
I decided to start as close to 9am as possible, this way I should know how well I was doing and avoid having to cut a route through the snow on Sticks Pass. I started a few minutes behind Alex Pilkington, Bruce Duncan and Mike Robinson believing these guys would be the ones to beat. The plan was to start fairly hard and catch this group, having caught Bruce and Alex by Howtown and had my sights on Mike, who had started to push on, hopefully giving me someone to run with. I caught Mike climbing Boredale Hause and we ran together for a short while before he let me push on as the slope steepened, reaching Patterdale in a split of 1hr 22min. I knew this was fast and, hoping I hadn't worked too hard too early, I wanted to utilise the boost you get from overtaking while my legs were fresh.
As I started to climb Greenside, reaching the snow line, the earlier starters were being reeled in. Early on the path was well trodden, but the soft snow higher up was more like treacle and I ran most of the way keeping to the tracks of the earlier starters. As the snow deepened and the slope steepened my run slowed to a fast walk and I was soon at the top of the pass, with not many left in front. Heading down, trying to follow tracks of skiers and walkers, became difficult as the white cloud met the snow. A quarter of the way down I hit the front; with a slight correction as I had started to deviate from the path. Escaping the cloud was a relief and, with the hardest climb done, it was now a long grind to Dunmail Raise.
I was alone less than half the way around and this was where the race would get mentally and physically hard with one eye over my shoulder, I kept a rhythm trying to keep relaxed, with good posture, to avoid my legs seizing. The climb up to Grisedale Tarn was a pleasure with a good path in the snow, then the path ran out at the tarn and I had to cut steps in the shin deep snow as I contoured above the tarn trying to make my way to Grisedale valley. I started my decent back towards Patterdale, passing my mate Andy with a welcome cheer and Ally with a quick kiss, reaching Patterdale in just under four and half hours. I started retracing my steps towards Askham with the thought of a sub 6 hour finish keeping me going. The hardest bit was the long drag up from Howtown onto the moor and I knew I would not quite make it in time, although it was still great running down to Askham, stopping briefly for a photo, and surprising the finish staff by how early I was. With a finish time of 6 hours 5 minutes I was ecstatic not only to have won but finished with such a good time and not to of faded too badly on the way home. Thanks to Nav4 for a fantastic event, not to mention the excellent spicy parsnip soup, and to Inov8 for the Oroc's which gave me good grip and warmth in the snow. I hope 2012 begins as well as 2011 has ended ...
Friday, 16 December 2011
Winter Training Update
Today was a very interesting day……The first proper snow fall of the year. Time to crack out the O-rocs!
For me it is so-far-so-good on the Winter training front and as I take a break from work for Christmas I look forward to getting some decent training done in daylight hours!
Winter training started in mid-October with a trip out to the Pyrenees to stay with my coach, Keith Anderson, in his beautiful house set in the vineyards in the foothills of Mont Ventoux. Being a former British fell running champion and a commonwealth games marathon runner Keith knows what is needed to succeed. He advises many top athletes (although I think I am the only fell runner!) and when an invitation to stay at his house for a week came along I wasn’t going to turn it down….however tough I thought the week would be.
As it turns out the week was a lovely warm weather week which was a welcome relief from the wind and rain of Cumbria. The week allowed us to sit together and discuss strengths, weaknesses, training sessions and the targets for next year. The sessions I went through in France were gruelling. It was a combination of hard and fast road sessions and long and tough hill sessions.
Upon return my winter training programme was set so the next couple of months were just plugging away building up the mileage each week to a peak of 80ish miles then recovering/resting for a week.
Things have gone consistently well so far without many missed sessions. Being a teacher I often expect to get the usual ‘christmas cold’ which can put me out of action for a week or two but ‘touch-wood’ it has stayed away so far.
Two weeks ago was the Cumbria XC Championships held in a very wet, muddy and windy Fitz Park in Keswick. I turned up on the day to use the race as my training for that day so was relatively pleased with 4th place with the first two places going to regular road/xc superstars.
I have stayed away from races for a few months now and I am looking forward to stretching the legs at the ‘Auld Lang Syne’ fell race on New Years Eve in Haworth, Yorkshire. It’s a fantastic ‘woodentops’ event and regularly has the triathlon ‘Brownlee’ brothers on the start line as well as many other top runners including Andi Jones and Ian Holmes.
I am hoping that my consistency can continue over the coming months and with the FRA Fixtures guide landing on my doormat today I will look forward to planning some race in the spring season.
Roll on Yorkshire Three Peaks!
Chris.
P.s. If any Team Inov-8’ers are in the Northern lakes over the Christmas/New Year period and fancy a run out then drop me an email…..i have some great routes!
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Sport and Exercise Medicine Job!
I got it!
So as of 03 Jan 2012 I will be moving jobs to Aldershot Regional Rehabiliation Unit working for the MOD looking after injured service personnel.
I am absolutely chuffed to bits as Sport and Exercise Medicine has been my passion for some years and it will allow me to work in it full time.
I am looking forward to more specialist training e.g. in musculoskeletal ultrasound and hope to get involved in gait and running technique analysis. I recently went to the UK Sport and Exercise Medicine Conference 2011 (see their website for details and blogs) and enjoyed hearing what Professor Dan Liebermann had to say about running and human evolution/body adaptations. Humans are naturally adapted to run. And Prof Liebermann believes that the natural way to run is on the midfoot. I believe this too having changed over myself 2-3 years ago from being a heavy heel striker. Midfoot running is more efficient (less cardiovascularly taxing) and of course you would never heelstrike run if you didn't have protective rubber on your heel. Anyway - I'm preaching to the converted!
I also had the opportunity to hear Matthew Syed (Author of 'Bounce' and ex-Professional Tabletennis player) discussing Mastery and the theory of practice rather than talent - brilliant. This was followed by a talk by Dan Coyle (Author of 'The Talent Code') - another great speaker. I would recommend all their books - or better still, if you get a chance to hear them talk then go!
Aside from all this I am still training hard in between injections for my achilles - these are going really well and I hope they will allow me to go hard at the World O Champs in 2012 after which I will hang up my International O Shoes - this is of course just a useful metaphor because I don't think I'll actually be hanging up my Inov8's any time soon...
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Concrete Mountains and Asphalt Jungles
Sometimes you have to put up with the downs to really appreciate the ups. After going into the OMM with high hopes only to crash out near the end of day 1 in a state of hypothermia, helped off the mountain by my understanding but obviously frustrated partner Rob Baker, I threw myself stright into the next challenge: training for an off road marathon in the US. Just one week after the OMM I completed a weekend of 40+ miles training and noticed a dull ache in the outside of my foot. The next day I could barely walk, let alone run.
I was lucky, as it turned out. I had severely aggrevated the peroneal tendon insertion, but there was no sign of a stress fracture. Cross training ensued but with little improvement to the tendon I had to call off the marathon. I was in the States, anyway, so I took the chance to indulge in a bit of tourism, limping and biking around New York and filling up on all sorts of unhealthy and oversized food. I went along to the race--the Northern Central Trail Marathon near Baltimore--where I helped out at a drinks station and watched with envy as the runners cruised along the compacted gravel trail of an old railroad. I would love to come back and run this one day.
I had a lot of time on my hands to think about the mistakes that led up to the OMM incident and this self-inflicted injury, but the conclusion I came to was that it is all part of the game. Sometimes you have to take risks in racing and training; sometimes they don't pay off. The day you stop taking those risks is the day you settle for mediocrity. I'm building up the running again and although it is dark, cold and wet and I am beset by niggles, it couldn't be more fun. Next up is the Trigger, the new incarnation of the legendary Marsden to Edale Fell race. I hope I can make it to the start line in one piece...
Brutal!
Before heading off to Kenya, I took part in a race called the Brutal 10km at Bordon Heath. It was advertised as the toughest off road 10km in the country, and I guess it probably was. 10km of hills, waist deep marshes and swamps, mud, icy tank wallows, sand and tussocks. All in all pretty good fun for an orienteer! There was some fast running too, as transport between the tough sections.
I went off fairly hard, but had Harold 'Warwick' Wyber for company for the first 8km before slowly getting away at the end for the win. Really good fun, and can highly recommend the series which continues in January.
Website here with loads of pictures and movies from the race.
